Does sugar improve the memory of Year 10 students?

1. Does sugar improve the memory of Year 10 students? RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY

2. Research Scenario • Dr Starburst is interested in the effect of sugar on the memory of Year 10 students in Victoria. He decides to test the students’ memories by using 2 lists of 10 3-letter nonsense words, which will be presented to participants for one minute. Participants must then recall as many of the 10 nonsense words in each trial as they can. • Participants assigned to the experimental group (50%) will consume a quantity of snake lollies prior to participating in the memory test. Participants assigned to the control group will consume no lollies prior to the test. • The average scores for each group will be calculated and compared.

3. Prior Research • The impact of increasing blood glucose on psychological functioning: David Benton, Biological Psychology, 1990: • Suggests that “glucose is beneficial when performing tasks demanding little mental capacity”. • Carbohydrates and mental function: feeding or impeding the brain?: E. L. Gibson, Nutrition Bulletin, 2007. • Some people “may benefit from some improvement in mental function after a specific dose of carbohydrate” but “it is too simplistic to assume that ingesting carbohydrates will inevitably improve cognitive function”.

4. Participants • Dr Starburst asks all secondary schools in Victoria if they would like to participate, and twenty schools volunteer. • He selects 18 Year 10 students from each school by using a random-number generator on the school rolls, and gets permission from each student’s parents to include them in the study. • He then allocates 180 participants to the experimental group and 180 to the control group.

5. Materials • For this study, the following materials will be required: • A random number generator or similar device to randomly allocate participants to control or experimental groups • Snake lollies for experimental group • Two lists of 10 3-letter nonsense words for the memory test • Stopwatch or clock for timing • Answer sheet for participants to write their answers • Spreadsheet or chart for collating results

6. Hypothesis • A Hypothesis is an educated prediction about the outcome of a study or experiment, usually based on prior research. • In this case, it may be: • “That Year 10 students in Victoria who consume sugar prior to a memory test will have a higher score than Year 10 students who consume no sugar”.

7. Participant Instructions • Participants in the experimental group will consume the allocated quantity of snake lollies prior to the two memory tests. • In each test trial, participants must attempt to memorise all ten nonsense words in order. They will be permitted to see the list for 1 minute, before being asked to write the list down in order from memory. They will have 1 minute to recall the full list.

8. Memory Test #1 • Get ready...

9. Memory Test #1 • ARO • PEL • HIB • ENJ • LOD • ORP • ZIK • NER • CEW • MUP

10. Memory Test #1 • Participants will have 1 minute to write down the list of 10 words in the correct order. • Ready, set... • GO!

11. Memory Test #1 - Scoring • ARO • PEL • HIB • ENJ • LOD • ORP • ZIK • NER • CEW • MUP

12. Memory Test #2 • Get ready...

13. Memory Test #2 • WID • GES • NAJ • HOB • MEK • BUP • DOK • TEM • YIS • NIN

14. Memory Test #2 • Participants will have 1 minute to write down the list of 10 words in the correct order. • Ready, set... • GO!

15. Memory Test #2 - Scoring • WID • GES • NAJ • HOB • MEK • BUP • DOK • TEM • YIS • NIN

16. Collating of Results • Participants must add their scores for Test 1 and Test 2 and then divide by 2 to obtain their average or mean score. • The scores for all participants in the experimental group must then be collated to obtain a group average • The same must be done for the control group. • The mean score of each group can then be compared.

17. Analysing Results / Drawing Conclusions • What was the mean score for each group? • Was there a small or large difference between the group mean scores? Do you think the difference was significant? • Would you conclude that the hypothesis was supported or not supported in this case? • What other factors might have influenced the experiment and affected the results? • Do you think the overall results can be generalised to the whole population of all students in Victoria?

18. Research Methods – Key Terminology • Type of Study: Experiment • Population: Victorian Year 10 students. • Sample: 360 Victorian Year 10 students. • Participant: A Year 10 Student. • Sampling: Random • Independent variable (IV): sugar • Dependent variable (DV): mean score on memory test • Control Group: 180 students who did not consume lollies prior to the tests. • Experimental Group: 180 students who did consume lollies prior to the tests. • Extraneous Variables: Individual intelligence, mood, what participants may have consumed prior to experiment, etc...

19. Memory Test #3 • Get ready...

20. Memory Test #3 • CCG • ANZ • USA • DOC • LOL • WWW • QLD • DVD • SMS • PTO

21. Memory Test #3 • Participants will have 1 minute to write down the list of 10 words in the correct order. • Ready, set... • GO!

22. Memory Test #3 - Scoring • CCG • ANZ • USA • DOC • LOL • WWW • HIV • DVD • SMS • PTO